Sports participation and leadership: Gender and nationality disparities in Spain

Abstract

Being physically active and engaging in sports activities are critical for improving health-,social-, and economic-related outcomes. Despite years of policy efforts, physical inactivity remainshigh, especially among specific demographic groups. This study focuses on gender andnationality differences in Spain. We use data from the 2020 Survey of Sporting Habits in Spainto perform a descriptive analysis of sports participation and examine its correlates. The resultsshow that women and foreign nationals are less likely to practice sports. Additionally, we collectinformation from the High Council for Sports to examine women's representation in leadershippositions in sports from 2016 through 2021. Despite recent increases following policy efforts,women remain a minority in all analyzed positions. We discuss the managerial implications ofour findings for public policy and reflect on future research directions in this area.